How Often Should You Clean A Child's Ears? The Answer Might Surprise You

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68e4e848180000f5fb5d13b7.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="Frank Rothe via Getty Images" /></div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>Today in fun debates happening on the internet, people are querying exactly how often parents should be cleaning their children’s ears. </p><p>“How often do you clean your kid’s ears?” <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/1nzb6ia/how_often_do_you_clean_your_kids_ears/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">asked a curious dad on Reddit</a>. “My parents used to do it quite often, like once a week. I won’t say how much I do it because I can’t keep up with them for some reason.” (Same.)</p><p>The answers were illuminating – and varied.</p><p>“Outer ear at bath time. In the ear canal never,” said one respondent. “If I notice wax at the opening to the ear canal or on the outer ear at any time, I’ll wipe it away.”</p><p>Another chipped in: “I clean my daughter’s ears when I can see a lot of visible wax on the outside. I only clean the outside and just inside the entrance of the canal. Usually I notice it needs cleaning about every 2 weeks.”</p><h2><strong>What does an expert say?</strong></h2><p>To settle this debate once and for all (and because we’re genuinely curious), we asked Dr Deborah Lee of <a href="https://www.doctorfox.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr Fox Online Pharmacy</a> for her input.</p><p>“Children’s ears are self-cleansing – they don’t need to be cleaned,” advised Dr Lee.</p><p>“Ear wax is normal in both children and adults. It is produced by glands inside the ear and naturally works its way